a/n: hi all,
No main thread chapter this week. A combination of work and writer's block are to blame, so instead we're doing a quick flashback chapter to get the summer started.
Cheers,
EQT.95
"Honey, I'm home," Sophie called teasingly from the entrance of the flat. She paused at the door, waiting in prolonged suspense for a response. "Kate?"
"Kitchen," came a voice from within the apartment.
Sophie scowled slightly. The lack of snarky reply confirmed her suspicions that the mood within the flat was unchanged the day before. She dropped her bag at the door and navigated the hall toward the sounds of dishes clattering together. She paused for a moment when she'd neared the all-glass wall that separated her from the city. The view always distracted her, and she glanced out at the setting sun falling over Gotham's skyline. It was a view that still managed to take her breath away everytime she saw it, and she lingered a moment before the sound of a curse from the depths of the apartment pulled her attention back onto her path through the flat.
As she approached, hints of the disaster were wafting toward her, catching off the sunlight and producing a haze that could mean only one thing. She poked her head around the wall and found her girlfriend surrounded by smoke and muttering over a ruined… Sophie wasn't quite sure what it was supposed to be, but in no world was it an appetizing color.
"Dinner smells great."
"Shut up," Kate scowled, leaning on her elbows as she examined her failed experiment. She peeled back the top layer to reveal a pocket of steam followed by more of the same unidentifiable… food.
"How about Chinese?" Sophie offered, studying the dish from a safe distance.
Kate sighed in defeat.
"I'll order," Sophie smirked, leaning in to offer Kate a quick peck on the cheek before retracing her steps down the hall, pivoting halfway toward the bedroom. "How was your day?" she called.
"Fine," came Kate's voice grumpily. The sound of a thunk against plastic was enough for Sophie to know Kate was disposing of the burnt evidence. She smirked in amusement. Kate's attention to detail was impeccable when it came to most things; when it came to ovens though, they were lucky the building hadn't met the same fate as their failed dinner.
"You manage to catch up with Bruce?" Sophie asked as she slipped out of her clothes. Silence followed, and Sophie began to wonder if Kate hadn't heard her when:
"No," Kate said a moment later from the doorway, causing Sophie to jump in surprise.
"Why do you do that?" she cried as adrenaline hit her veins. She turned to see Kate leaning casually against the frame, staring unabashedly at her underdressed girlfriend. Sophie would have been flattered if not for the scowl hovering over Kate's brow.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Yes," Kate said with a hunger that had nothing to do with the ruined entree sitting in the trash, her face striking a balance between continued disgruntlement and intrigue.
Sophie crossed the length of the room, noting with a blush that Kate's eyes remained fixed firmly on her as she did.
"Well," Sophie said, settling her hands around Kate's waist. "I already said I'd take care of dinner. Did you need something else?"
"Yes," Kate repeated heavily, suggesting so much more.
Sophie took the cue to lean in and capture Kate's lips. She was caught off guard, clearly expecting the kiss to be quick and light, but there was a want in the way Kate's lips pressed into her that made her heart skip a beat. She felt Kate's hands slide around her exposed waist and a chill shot through her like lightning. Nervously she pulled back, and Kate's hands retracted in apology.
"Uh-"
"Tease," Kate muttered to break the tension, earning an appreciative smirk from Sophie as she backed away and returned to her set of clothes.
"So, what happened with Bruce?" she asked, slipping on a loose tank.
"The usual; something ambiguous came up," Kate said cryptically. Whether it was intentionally cryptic on Bruce's part or because Kate was distracted, Sophie wasn't sure. She pulled out a pair of shorts, surveying her girlfriend in the process.
"Did you reschedule?"
"No," Kate said, pushing off the doorway and retreating back toward the kitchen.
Sophie scowled, interrogating the last few minutes for anything to clarify Kate's atypically sour mood. She'd had little to go on the last few days, and Kate wasn't making it any easier. While Kate was good at deflecting to the rest of the world, Sophie had a knack for reading Kate, and it was obvious she was distracted by something. That it was typical for her to keep it bottled up only made Sophie more keen to figure out the problem before the Kane stubbornness was swapped with the Kane temper.
She quickly finished changing before following behind. A brief scan of the interior space proved her instinct was right: it was empty of her brooding girlfriend. She continued crossing through the kitchen which spilled into an enormous living room that extended out onto an even larger terrace. She stepped outside, noting the warm summer breeze had cooled slightly with the arrival of evening. The city streets were thick with heat; it was an experience Sophie got used to as she commuted each day back and forth to Wayne Tower, but the terrace of the Kane's penthouse apartment rose above that, providing a regular stream of fresh air.
The sun was edging closer to the horizon, casting a warm orange onto the high rises around them, and Sophie's eyes quickly locked onto the familiar frame leaning against the railing.
"Hey," Sophie said softly, stepping behind Kate and slipping her arms around her waist.
"Hi."
"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"
"Nothing's going on."
"Kate," Sophie pressed. "You need to try harder if you expect me to believe you."
"Can I try again then?"
"Nope. You've struck out."
"Was that three?"
"You've been moody for the past two days plus a lie, so yes. That was three. On top of that you killed dinner-"
"The timer didn't go off," Kate said defensively.
"At this point I don't think we can blame it on the timer," Sophie smirked into Kate's shoulder.
"I don't trust it. I think we should get a new one."
"No deflecting. Spill. What's going on?"
Sophie felt Kate exhale slowly in her arms before turning to face her.
"Jacob was in town."
"Oh, that's great. Did you see him?"
"Last week."
"Last week? Did… you didn't see him last week though," Sophie replied confusedly, verbalizing the problem as her brain caught up. A quick shake of Kate's head confirmed this.
"I only just found out."
"He didn't tell you he was here?" Sophie asked, beginning to understand.
"It was all last minute, and he booked a hotel," Kate explained, and Sophie could see her girlfriend was beginning to build an argument that excused her father's secrecy. "But it's fine. He's a busy-"
"That's not really the point though," Sophie interrupted, reading the subtle hints of frustration on Kate's face. "What was he here for? I thought he was supposed to be in Europe with Catherine and Mary until July."
"Apparently duty called. Something about a leasing agreement. Anyway, he made the trip back."
Sophie scowled in frustration for Kate. It wasn't that Kate had the closest relationship with her father. They talked on the phone occasionally, and it typically caused more frustration than anything. Jacob's relationship with Kate tended to err toward commanding office and soldier more than father and daughter. It was one that struck Sophie as odd but not something she felt comfortable commenting on. For as bullheaded and independent as Kate was, one suggestion from Jacob could upend her plans and she'd course correct to absorb this latest feedback into them. The latest version of this came with Jacob's less than optional suggestion that Kate continue training over the summer to stay in peak condition. This resulted in Kate adopting even crazier hours than when she'd been training dozens of cadets at Point Rock weeks earlier.
It was rare that Sophie heard words of praise or caring from Jacob, and all of this was exacerbated by how Kate described Jacob's relationship with Catherine and Mary which reflected a much more normal version of a family. Kate either didn't seem to notice or never bothered to admit the way Jacob treated the two parts of his family differently.
Sophie didn't doubt that Jacob loved Kate, primarily because she couldn't imagine anyone not loving Kate. But moments like this hit a nerve for Sophie. Jacob was a busy man, jet setting around the world, scouting talent to recruit as part of his latest business venture, but the way he often dismissed Kate in the process didn't make Sophie think highly of him.
"How did you find out?" Sophie asked through her scowl.
"Mary called yesterday," Kate answered simply, trying her best to hide her frustration.
Moments like this reminded Sophie that behind her stubborn yet seemingly carefree facade, Kate was just as human as everyone else. She craved the love of her family just as much as anyone - even more, perhaps, given the circumstances. It was easy to forget that when Kate had a habit of deflecting the small things. Jacob had flown to Europe three days before Kate was due to return from Point Rock for the summer. At the time Kate didn't seem affected by it, and it wasn't something Sophie had known to question. Instead, she spent her energy getting Sophie moved in and acquainted to the penthouse. One silver lining to Kate's family vacationing all summer in some Italian villa meant the penthouse was unoccupied and free to make their own.
Initially Sophie had been skeptical of Kate's proposal to move in together for the summer. They'd been back together less than two weeks when Kate proposed the idea, and while Sophie had no intention of ending things between them, something about it felt too soon. Yes, they'd dated for a stint prior to this latest round, but somehow that didn't ease her initial hesitation.
The stipend she received from her Wayne Tech internship was enough to fund a room, and, after some initial searching, she'd found options on the northside of Gotham that fit her budget. She'd intended to do just that when she'd initially been offered the position and her and Kate were still very much broken up.
Fast forward a few weeks, and after a rather public moment of embarrassment followed by perhaps the happiest moment of Sophie's life, and the variables had changed dramatically. The rest of term was spent with Kate building a case that eventually changed her mind:
"The hours are going to be crazy, Soph."
"So?"
"So, that means we'll never see each other."
"That's pretty hyperbolic even for you."
"I'm serious."
"And how do you figure that?" Sophie asked, humoring her girlfriend's appeal.
"Because you're too type-A to skimp during the week which means you'll work late then have to immediately commute home to get there before dark, so we'll only ever see each other on weekends assuming you aren't working then, too."
"Before dark?" Sophie scoffed. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"I'm not letting you wander around Gotham at night alone, and I'm guessing you won't let me pay for a cab every night from my place."
"Excuse me? 'Not letting me'? I didn't realize I needed your permission."
"Soph, don't take this the wrong way, but you're crazy hot."
"I… what? First of all, most people take that as a compliment. And sec-"
"Yea, except in Gotham it also makes you a target. I'm sure Diane Moore would love to know the statistics around muggings of young women in the city."
Sophie let Kate bully her with anecdotes until she finally folded. It didn't take all that much convincing, but Sophie kept up the act a week longer than needed if only to see the lengths Kate would go toward persuading her. What came out of that final week was a genuine reason to fold:
"Here," Kate said, slapping a newspaper over Sophie's textbook.
"Ooh, Gotham Cinema has two for one Tuesdays on new releases?" Sophie read aloud.
"Wh-no, under that."
"What does a missing cat have to do with anything?" Sophie asked, amused by the absurd lengths Kate was going to.
"It's more evidence Gotham isn't safe."
Sophie had to swallow a laugh as she processed Kate's latest insistence. "Sorry, you're telling me that a missing cat is proof? Cats run away all the time. It's one of their defining characteristics. That is… this is a terrible argument, Kate."
"Ok, what about below that?"
"Nurse suspended for stealing prescription pads?"
"Yea, and she was using it to get drugs illegally for her boyfriend to sell on the streets."
"You're just describing America, Kate. This isn't unique to Gotham. I also don't think I'm at risk of being sucked into the world of drugs."
"Fine. Read the one below it then."
"Young woman killed in…"
"What was that?" Kate pressed with a scowl. "Couldn't hear that last bit."
"Ok, one instance," Sophie tried to argue back. "And besides, I've got you training me in all the right combat moves, so it's fi-"
"Read the last line."
"Kate, I-"
"Read it."
Silence fell as Sophie's eyes fell to the bottom of the page skimming the provided statistic.
"Out loud," Kate demanded.
"This brings the annual total of young female deaths to a staggering 37 which suggests a trend that will double last year's total by September."
"Exactly. You're living with me."
There wasn't much room for argument after that. Plus, Diane Moore was beside herself with relief when she told her parents Kate had offered a place for the summer within blocks of her work. If it wasn't Kate peppering her with data, it was her mother fear mongering about the unsafe city life. Beyond that, it was rent free, didn't require an hour long commute each way, and she didn't have to worry about random roommates that came with subletting. All of that was great, but what really sealed the deal was that Kate would be there.
"Wait, you aren't going to Italy?" Sophie asked in surprise, pulling away from Kate to properly interrogate her. They'd been happily watching a documentary when conversations of Kate's summer plans came up.
"Nah," Kate replied.
"At all? Really? But you always go somewhere."
"That's not true," Kate replied.
"You literally never shut up about it. Greece last year, New Zealand the summer before, Iceland before that. I tried feta because you refused to let it go until I did."
"I'm mixing it up this year," Kate said indifferently.
"This isn't because I'm using the flat is it? Because if it is, I can-"
"Soph, that's not why," Kate sighed. "I mean, it is... but not in a bad way. I just figured a whole summer with you beats a trip to Italy any day."
"You make it really hard to argue with you when you say things like that."
"I love you, too," Kate smirked.
"So how about that food? The sun's almost down which means it's nearly your bedtime," Kate said, taking advantage of the silence that came from Sophie getting lost in her thoughts.
"We aren't done talking about this."
"I'd have been surprised if we were," Kate replied, offering a smirk that, to anyone else, would pass as natural, but Sophie had a superpower most didn't: she was more attuned to the subtlety of Kate's expressions.
"Well I'm glad we've established that as a norm," Sophie shot back. "I'll order, you clean the kitchen."
"Yes ma'am," Kate replied, this time with a genuine smirk, and Sophie relaxed slightly at the shift.
"What are you doing?" Kate called from the threshold of the terrace. Evening had fallen and she stood as a silhouette in the doorway interrogating the fact that her girlfriend was posted up at the kitchen island and not with her outside. They'd been happily cuddled on a lounge seat on the terrace after dinner when Kate had dozed and she awoke to find a blanket over her but without a girlfriend.
A breeze coming through the open door sent the shadow of her short hair flickering as she scowled at Sophie shooting her a smirk back.
"Reading," Sophie said simply, her attention jumping between two open books and a notebook splayed out in front of her.
"Business or pleasure?"
"Pleasure."
"Really?" Kate asked, scowling at the obviously studious nature of how Sophie occupied the work surface. "Because it definitely looks - oh, are you still at this?" she continued, recognizing the books. She glanced at the bookshelf to her right that revealed two empty slots where they had once resided.
"What?"
"I could just tell you."
"It's not as fun."
"You'll be at it all summer," Kate said, slipping into the chair next to Sophie while rubbing her eyes awake.
"So?"
Kate sighed impatiently, flipping to the table of contents.
"Hey, what are y- I'm not finished," Sophie scowled as Kate took the Yehuda Amichai book from her. She had located it on the bookcase during their first week in the flat and had insisted on translating the poems until she found the one that graced Kate's skin. Kate had gawked at this when Sophie's plans became clear, but she remained steadfast and every other night Kate would find Sophie scowling critically between the book of poems and a Hebrew/English dictionary that also lived in the Kane library.
"I know, I'm just checking something," Kate replied, waving off Sophie's attempt to grab it back.
"I don't want to know it-"
"I know, Soph, just hold your horses…" Kate continued, scanning the list of poems.
"Hold my... Did you just tell me to hold my horses?"
"Yea, thought so," Kate muttered.
"Thought so, what?" Sophie asked when Kate slid the book back on the table and climbed to her feet, her eyes squinting at the third bay packed with books across the room.
"It's not in that one," Kate said simply, lifting her hand to track along the bindings of one shelf then another before pausing. She slipped a small, pocket-sized book from its home and quickly flipped through it to confirm her suspicion before turning back toward Sophie. "Here."
Sophie eyed Kate suspiciously before taking the book being offered. "Are you just messing with me?"
"Consider it a compromise. If you really want to spend all summer translating Hebrew, the least I can do is get you to look somewhere with the answer."
Sophie ran her fingers over the cover and realized it was very much unlike the one she'd been studying. For starters, the first book was obviously new; it was a paperback that looked like it'd never been opened. It was also riddled with publisher's footnotes and had the translated versions in the back which Sophie had very intentionally avoided looking at. This other one was clearly an original publishing. It was leather bound, and the spine suggested it was well-worn. She flipped through the pages and saw they had the same wear and tear to the edges. Small notes were handwritten in the margins, and when she returned to the first page she saw, in the upper right corner written in curly handwriting G. Goldstein.
"Was this your mom's?" Sophie asked.
"Yea," Kate replied simply, distracted by the mess from their takeout on the counter.
"I can't… I don't think I should, uh, maybe you can just tell me," Sophie conceded, feeling uncomfortable at the thought of handling something so personal.
"What?" Kate asked, a quizzical frown on her face. "After all of your 'I'm a strong independent woman and want to find it on my own'?"
"That's not even close to what I said. And I just... this is your mom's. I don't want to hurt it."
Kate eyed her with an amused grin. "What did you plan on doing with it?"
"What I meant is-"
"Light it on fire? Take it for a swim? Use it to learn Origami?"
"I just mean that I understand if you wouldn't want me, you know-"
"Reading it? Touching it? Breathing near it?" Kate rattled off.
"Why do you always make conversation difficult?"
"I don't - I'm great at conversations; you just always choose really bizarre topics."
"Shouldn't you be going to bed or something? It's nearly midnight."
"Sick of me already?" Kate grinned.
"Not you, just your snark."
"Package deal babe," Kate continued from across the kitchen, smiling wider at the eyeroll her remark earned. "You going to be up much later?"
"Just a bit. If someone hadn't come in and distracted me-"
"I think you mean 'helped you'..."
"Fine, 'helped me' - I'd be done faster."
"Done faster? This is literally self-imposed homework. No one is making you do this," Kate gawked.
"I don't understand why you're being such a grump about this. It's fun."
"Fun?"
"Yes, Kate. Fun," Sophie replied, her attention back on the books.
Kate could only gape back. "Fine, I'm going to bed."
"Night."
Kate turned to leave, feeling frustrated by the exchange. She was halfway down the hall, replaying the conversation in her head when she paused at the bedroom door, a pang of regret hitting her.
"Hey," came Kate's voice minutes later. Sophie glanced up in surprise.
"Hi. I thought you were-"
"I'm sorry."
"Oh. That - that's not really neces-"
"No, you were right. I was being a grump," Kate said, leaning onto the counter across from Sophie. "And I'm sorry."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sophie asked, and they both knew the question had nothing to do with Yehuda Amichai or their conversation or Sophie's definition of 'fun'. The words floated between them and Sophie watched Kate contemplate lowering the drawbridge of her defenses.
"I love that your parents can't wait to visit you in the city. I know you aren't thrilled about it, but they love you and want to see you and be a part of your life. With Jacob… I get that he's busy, and I'm not even upset we didn't see each other. I guess… it'd just have been nice to know," Kate said finally.
"Have you told him that?"
"What? No," Kate said quickly. "That isn't… that's not how it works."
"Why not?"
"Because that's how it's always been," Kate replied.
Sophie watched Kate's gaze fall in thought.
"At least, that's how it's always been since Beth and mom died."
"Why do you think that is?" Sophie asked. She had her own theory, but she also understood this wasn't that kind of conversation. It was always easy for Kate to dismiss things - it let her avoid thinking critically about things that were personal to her. It wasn't that she couldn't draw her own conclusions, it's that she never gave herself the room to do it. Sophie had discovered that, more often than not, the thing Kate needed was a prompt and time.
"Because it was easier to move on that way than to try to go back to anything else," Kate said after a moment.
Sophie nodded, the translation and her notes all but forgotten in front of her.
"What if you went to Italy?" Sophie posited. "You'd be able to spend some time with-"
"No," Kate interrupted, her tone suggesting there wasn't room for negotiation.
"W-why not? You haven't seen them for months. Mary would be overjoyed if you went."
"Because I don't want to."
"You're joking. You're telling me you don't want to eat… fresh pasta and visit some Italian vineyard or-or-"
"No," Kate interrupted resolutely.
Sophie stared back at Kate in confusion. "But why not?"
"I'm going to bed," Kate said with finality as she pushed away from the counter to leave.
"What? Kate, wait, I didn't mean to upset you-"
"I know, Soph. I'm not upset, I just… I'm going to bed."
"Ok."
Sophie hesitated before deciding to stay back for a few minutes. She committed to translating another three lines of text before calling it quits, giving Kate the chance to cool off and fall asleep. She climbed to her feet and turned off the lights before making her way to the bedroom where she took note of Kate laying in bed.
"Hey," Sophie whispered, slipping under the covers. "Can't sleep?"
"I could be asleep," Kate whispered back in the dark.
"You're on your back," Sophie explained easily, rolling onto her side to scrutinize Kate's unmoving form. They remained silently like this for a few minutes. Sophie hesitated to ask anything as she fought off the pull of sleep.
"You don't need to stay awake, Soph," Kate offered.
"I know I don't need to. I want to," Sophie shrugged.
Kate rolled onto her side to face Sophie.
"I don't want to go to Italy because I want to spend the summer with you," she said finally. "And… and it sounds silly to say, but it's true. If given the chance to hang out with Jacob and Mary or you, I pick you. I'd pick you every time, and I'm sorry for being so moody about everything."
Sophie didn't reply. Instead she brought a hand to Kate's cheek and leaned in with a kiss.
"You're painfully irresistible when you say stuff like that," Sophie said when she pulled away.
"Does it make up for my being a pain to live with?"
"Yes. It more than makes up for it," Sophie chuckled, letting Kate slide against her and pulling her into a tight hug. "Just don't make a habit of it."
"Deal."
a/n #2: A quick note about Kate's tattoos that I meant to include when Kate's tattoo was first mentioned last term but forgot: For those who follow the comics, Kate Kane doesn't get her first tattoo until after her time at West Point, but because the premise of this story assumes the CW/Ruby Rose version of Kate Kane, I've given this some leniency and decided that Kate's adoption of them began at an earlier point in her life.